This invention relates photoluminescent materials (or phosphors) and lighting technology. In particular, this invention relates to phosphors containing oxides of alkaline-earth and Group-13 metals, and to light sources incorporating such phosphors.
A phosphor is a luminescent material that absorbs radiation energy in a portion of the electromagnetic spectrum and emits energy in another portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. Phosphors of one important class are crystalline inorganic compounds of high chemical purity and of controlled composition to which small quantities of other elements (called “activators”) have been added to convert them into efficient fluorescent materials. With the right combination of activators and inorganic compounds, the color of the emission can be controlled. Most useful and well-known phosphors emit radiation in the visible portion of the electromagnetic spectrum in response to excitation by electromagnetic radiation outside the visible range. Well-known phosphors have been used in mercury vapor discharge lamps to convert ultraviolet (“UV”) radiation emitted by the excited mercury vapor to visible light. Other phosphors are capable of emitting visible light upon being excited by electrons (used in cathode ray tubes) or X rays (for example, scintillators in X-ray detection systems).
Fluorescent lamps having high luminous output and color rendering indices (“CRI”), which are based on mercury discharge and used for illumination, typically include three phosphors that convert UV radiation of the mercury discharge into relatively narrow bands of blue, green, and red visible light, concentrated in the spectral regions where the human eye has the highest sensitivity (450, 540, and 610 nm). These fluorescent lamps are commonly called tricolor lamps. Although a CRI of about 85 would give a normal appearance to most objects, some typical colors will look unnatural under illumination with tricolor lamps. Therefore, for certain applications, a higher CRI is required. Such a higher CRI can be obtained by using a blue light-emitting phosphor with an emission maximum at about 490 nm. A suitable phosphor having this characteristic emission has been Sr4Al14O25:Eu2+. However, there is a continued need for phosphors having efficiency higher than that of Sr4Al14O25:Eu2+ and similar emission maximum. It is also very desirable to use such novel phosphors to produce light sources having high-energy efficiency and high CRIs.